Mother appeals for return of statue stolen from her teenage son’s grave at Eastwood Cemetery in March

Monument taken from a grave at Eastwood cemetery, (Image: Archant)

His mum Marion Sutton discovered it was missing when she visited the cemetery last Tuesday and is now hoping whoever took it will quietly return it.

Mrs Sutton had originally hoped the statue had been moved by a council worker but after contacting Bob Ollier, the officer responsible for parks and cemeteries at Fenland District Council, that hope was dashed.

She said: “It was suggested the council might have moved it, but after I spoke to Mr Ollier that hope was gone. I wish in a way it had been them, that way I would at least have been able to get it back.”

She believes the statue was taken sometime between Saturday February 20 and Tuesday March 1.

She said: It was there when I went to put flowers on the grave the weekend before. We have had things taken off Stuart’s grave in the past including ornaments and a bottle of bubbles. But this statue had real sentimental value and it being taken has hit me really hard.

“We used to go to Centre Parks and Stuart used to love feeding the squirrels, he would have them climbing up his legs. The statue has a squirrel sitting on the little boy’s lap so it had real meaning for us.

“It was quite heavy, you would need to use both hands to carry it. There were other ornaments on the grave including one of a little boy kneeling down. But obviously someone has taken a shine to the other one.

“When we had ornaments taken before and we put it in the paper we got them back, so I’m hoping that someone will have a conscience and return the statue.”

Stuart lost his life after fighting a rare bone marrow disease (aplastic anaemia) for eight years in June 2003.

The Cambs Times helped the family raise money for Stuart to visit Disneyland Florida and also organised a campaign to try to find a suitable bone marrow donor for the teenager.